20171212

Beauty for the Morning After

Party season is underway, so what better time than to share my quick and easy products to look fresh and polished when you feel far from it? This kind of routine can also be used where you miss your alarm, you have to get up at stupid-o-clock to travel or for whatever reason you just don't want to spend ages beautifying yourself! Hair & BodyDepending on how much time you have, there are two recommendations here! If you've reached the point where your hair could be home to several small creatures without you realising then the quickest and easiest 'wash' product is the Hair is Fabric Hydration Support | £25 (standard size). It's essentially a cleansing conditioner so is a one-step product that will leave your hair soft, smooth, hydrated and shiny. If you're already running late and the idea of washing your hair would've been a stretch even if you'd managed to get up after the first alarm then I recommend the Playa Dry Shampoo* | $26. I have to put my hands in the air and say that I'm not a huge fan of dry shampoo - I have a sensitive scalp and these kinds of products can often aggravate the issue. However when I need to, this is the one I use because it's nothing too irritating. It's also pretty much invisible, so you don't have to spend ages working the product in. It soaks up any excess oils an also adds a nice bit of volume.My go-to in the shower is the Elemental Herbology Grapefruit & Mandarin Body Wash | £21. The fresh, fruity scent is perfect for waking me up in the morning, it has a lovely, foamy consistency and the fact it comes in this pump bottle makes it quick and easy when I'm in a rush. Once I'm nice and clean I reach for my Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil | £29. It's just one of my all-time favourite products! It's an oil without the greasiness or excess and can be used on the body but also to hydrate the hair. It's so intensely nourishing on dry skin and the packaging means you can spray the mist onto the body, making it a great option when you're in a rush but can't bypass moisturising your skin.SkincareWhen it comes to skincare, I want products that are going to sort out my tired face with as little effort as possible! Of course cleansing is essential to get rid of any impurities that have gathered overnight (and any lingering makeup you might have missed from the night before...). I reach for the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser | £15 | because, firstly, again that pump just makes my life easier, and secondly because of the 'fuss-free' nature of this product. It's refreshing, doesn't have much of a scent and is very gentle on the skin. I reach for it and just know I can trust it to do the job! I follow that up with the Pixi Vitamin Wakeup Mist* | £16. As the name suggests, it's a refreshing, invigorating mixture of vitamins to plump and hydrate tired skin.

Next I reach for the Embryolisse Artist Secret Elixir Eclat* | £38. This is pretty much an all-in-one wonder serum-primer! It has a lovely, lightweight feel on the skin and the formula actually has a slight sheen, so your skin looks subtly radiant. It contains various plant extracts and hyaluronic acid, which just plumps and smooths the skin so it looks healthy and fresh, as well as feeling smoother. I then use The Ordinary's Caffeine Solution + EGCG | £5.80 | because my tired eyes are always the thing that betray me! This is a lightweight gel product that's amazing at de-puffing the eyes and making you look more awake.MakeupTo prep and moisturise the skin, I use the appropriately-named Too Faced Hangover Primer | £27. It's a coconut water-based hydrating cream primer that really smooths and replenishes the skin whilst having a very lightweight texture. If you don't suffer from dark circles then you can probably skip this step, but personally it's always my eyes that make me look the most tired and the Bobbi Brown Corrector (Peach) | £19.50 | is perfect for fixing that. It can be dabbed on quickly with the fingers and the peachy tone neutralises the blue colour of dark circles. The Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser (St. Moritz) | £29.50 | is amazing both as a quick and easy product but also for bringing your skin back to life. It can be applied with minimal effort using either with your fingers or a damp BeautyBlender* | £16. The formula is amazing; it's so fresh, natural and glowing whilst also having enough coverage to even out the tone of my skin. It's pretty much a great skin day in a tube.

A bit of concealer is a step I never skip! My go-to is the Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer (Ginger) | £24 | because it works both under the eyes and on blemishes and can be applied quickly and easily with your fingers. It has a medium coverage that looks incredibly natural on the skin and has great longevity. If you want something a little more fresh and brightening under the eyes then I recommend the Too Faced Born This Way Concealer (Medium) | £20 | again applied with a damp BeautyBlender. It has a lovely medium-full coverage that looks so luminous on the skin. It does crease a little though, so I recommend setting it. The MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural (Medium-Dark) | £24.50 | is the perfect product to throw in your bag and apply on the go. It has such a luminous finish for a powder and never looks caky. It sets things in place as well as removing any obvious shine.For the eyes, cream products are perfect for giving that 'pulled together' look in seconds. I love the ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Sunset Blvd | $5. This is a warm beige-gold nude shade with a subtle sheen. It's so long-wearing and is the perfect low-maintenance colour all over the lids. I then use the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Amber Haze | £19 | to line my eyes. It's a warm, rich brown-bronze in a creamy formula that sets down and doesn't budge all day long.I prefer nude shades for a low-maintenance makeup look so I opt for the Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk | £15 | on the cheeks with the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Petal | £19.50 | on the lips. The Cloud Paints have such an usual formula - it's somewhere between a cream and a liquid. They really do give a watercolour effect on the skin and blend out naturally (I just use my fingers). This adds the perfect flush of peachy-brown nude that lasts so well on my skin (I'm super fussy about non-powder formulas when it comes to blusher). The Fresh Lip Treatment is a gorgeously nourishing lip balm with a glossy nude-pink wash of colour. You can throw this into your bag and apply it on the go, even if you don't have a mirror to hand.

The finishing touches are lashes and brows. The L'oreal Lash Paradise Mascara | £11.99 | is perfect because it's so volumising, it gives that 'wow' factor with minimal effort. It doesn't leave my lashes clumpy and also adds some length. I then run a bit of the Glossier Boy Brow (Black) | £14 | through my brows to add some volume, colour and soft hold in a few seconds.

Which products do you reach for when you're not quite looking your best?

I need to try the L'Oreal Lash Paradise - I'm on the lookout for a good volumising mascara and just can't find one I love. The NARS Soft Matte concealer is on my to-buy list too. I'm sceptical about pot concealers, but all the hype has me curious!

Loved this post! I always opt for a tinted moisturiser when I can't really be bothered to apply makeup but look rough haha! I'm intrigued by the new nars concealer - haven't heard much about it but what I have heard has all been good! Might treat myself soon! x

I love the l'oreal mascara! I honestly feel like it has also helped with my eye lash growth. I might be wrong but the truth is that since I have started using it, my lashes look much bigger when i don't have any makeup on.Love, love, love it!